Comments on: Gift guide for the 2007 holiday season

By: kmsqrd

kmsqrd — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:13:05 +0000

I bought my brother a single near court side ticket for a basket ball game. It’s something I know he’ll love and won’t buy for himself.

By: MadMolecule

MadMolecule — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:27:29 +0000

Here’s another thought for the person who’s tough to shop for: eBay gift certificates.

By: ClickerTrainer

ClickerTrainer — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:56:03 +0000

I like to give movie passes or gift cards for holiday pies for those visiting others for holiday dinners. Both are easy on household and waistline “clutter”.

By: erin

erin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:01:08 +0000

Sandra, you beat me to it! I was just about to post about allergies. I can’t use any skin products that have perfumes in them, so I hate getting bath stuff as a generic gift, at work for example. I usually end up storing the stuff and re-gifting it, but gift certificates would be much more useful.

One idea that I had this year was to not buy cds for family members (as we used to do) but instead get gift certificates for music downloads. Not only does the recipient get exactly what they want, but there’s no clutter.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:36:59 +0000

It sounds obvious, but when giving things like foods and lotions, try to make sure you have some idea of the person’s allergies or lack thereof. If you have home-baked the goods, it might be cute to somehow incorporate also gifting the recipe as well as the baked goods; this way the person will also know what was in them in case of unknown allergies on your part.

By: MikeDude

MikeDude — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:22:49 +0000

I’m surprised no one said anything about regifting…the way to turn your clutter into treasure (or clutter) for someone else.

One good unclutting gift for kids is donations to their college fund or 529 plan. My baby is too young to really know what is happening, and doesn’t need 200 lead based chinese plastic gizmos, so parents and grandparents, please give one book and a check.

By: Kerry

Kerry — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:41:54 +0000

Such a cool idea! I want to try wrap with more functional items this year with things like tea towels, or just giving things open in a nice basket. Cuts down on gift wrap and also allows the person to use the tea towel or basket for something functional around their house!

By: Jasi

Jasi — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:53:16 +0000

Very cool post. Ultimately everyone has to deal with their own clutter, but some people have a harder time with it. It’s thoughtful to consider the impact of the holiday season on clutter bugs.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:37:08 +0000

I like giving and getting tickets to events, too. Concerts, plays, sporting events… whatever the person will enjoy. It’s fun (especially if you go with them) and doesn’t leave any “stuff” behind. Once I took my husband to a minor league hockey game as a birthday present, since he loves hockey - we both really enjoyed it and look Ma, no clutter!

By: jesse

jesse — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:27:15 +0000

I go for the following with people who I’m not ceasing gifts with completely:

- requested items

- exchange donations to favorite causes (good vibes and also, tax write-off)

- comestibles (I will probably be giving our office baked treats from a new vegan baker in town - I’ve already had 2 non-vegan coworkers sample and thumbs-up the goodies)

- very basic bath stuff like soaps and moisturizers

- gift cards for services like mani/pedi, massages, etc.

By: D-List 6 Figure Blogger

D-List 6 Figure Blogger — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:33:55 +0000

I give my time - most of the people I know already have everything they need. Take them out for a day and just catch up - best gift of all.

By: Kris

Kris — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:27:52 +0000

I thought of something else …. my grandmother recently acquired a beautiful rare parrot. I’m getting her a gift card to her favorite pet store for the holidays … she’s gonna love it.

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:10:31 +0000

While I like the idea of giving food, realize that a lot of people are either trying to cut back on sweets or are truly sick of sweets by the time the big arrives. I have found that people really enjoy receiving a loaf of freshly baked (homemade of course) bread.

By: Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:22:54 +0000

I like gift certificates for digital stuff - music, VIP memberships to favorite websites, digital scrapbooking supplies, ebooks, etc.

See what hobbies the person has, and see what’s offered online - ie. a guitarist might like a subscription to a guitar educational website or a PDA enthusiast might like a gift certificate for software downloads, etc.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:42:01 +0000

I like to get gift certificates to restaurants that I like to frequent or movie theaters. I have specifically told my significant other not to buy me things that I have to store.

By: Clancy

Clancy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:28:57 +0000

I always like to receive (and give) things that can be used up, like the food suggestion above and shower gel, candles, or other things I know the recipient uses a lot.

By: Kris

Kris — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:25:43 +0000

Unless someone has asked for something specific (my dad, for example, wants the movie ‘300′ on DVD; my MIL always wants a calendar with our children’s photos on it) .. then we give food. Wonderfully wrapped, gorgeous, delicious food. Fruit, nuts, pies, cookies … various things from various companies (Harry and David is a personal favorite, as is Hemslojd for the Swedish side of my family. Wine is also a great gift, particularly from local vineyards. No clutter. And who doesn’t like to open decadent sundries?